Fire-alarm system.



G. W. HOCHSPRUNG.

FIRE ALARM SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 23. 19M. RENEWED APR. 20, I916.

1 06,845. Patented Dec. 5, 1916.

U TED sans ENT OFFICE.

GEORGE'WJHOCHSPRUNG, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS; T0 JACOB-'KOTHE, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

FIRE-ALARM SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent;

Patented Dec. 5, 1916.

Applicationnled'November 23, 1914, Serial No.'873,437. Renewed April 20, 1916. Serial No. 92,531.

To all to 7mm it may concern Be 'it known that I, GEORGE WV. Hoorrsmmxoya citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in'the county of Kings and st ate of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improve'mentsin Fire- Alarm Systems; and 1 do hereby declare the folloiving'to' be a full, clear, and exact description ofth'e invention, such as W111 enable others skilled in th'e art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present "invention relates to an im proved fire alarmapparatus for giving notice of a 'fire and locating the place whence analarmis sentin, whether used in municipal"systems or in public buildings, apartment houses, hotels and the like.

Itlias'been-common hitherto toprovide a chainof automatic breakers in series on a normallyf'closed circuit of high resistance,

whiclf wer'e' combined with relays operating upon-a second (and' lower resistance) circuit to ring a bell 'or bells. The arrange ment of the succession of makes and breaks 'provi-ded'a code signal diifering for each alarm bo'x, whereby th'e location of the fire was ascertained.

It "is theobject of the present invention to provide means whereby a single circuit mayuniting all the alarm boxes and bells 'in series,'*'for obtaining all theresults and advantagesofiered' by the older systems. The advantage of entirely suppressing or doinggaway with duplicate circuits be "used "is obv' i'ous, both on account of reduction of expense and because of the decreased repairs and decreased dangerof the system getting out of" order:

The invention is shown in a preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawing, Wherein-- Figure "1 is a diagrammatic representation'of-the entire system and Fig. 2 is a partial sectional view of a modified form of dashpot; r

The main'oircuit wire is shown at 10, and unites inseries'the alarm boxes 11 (of any appropriate 'well known type) and-the alarm bells 12, all of which are suppliedby a suitable source of current, as for instance the secondary battery 13, charged by a dynamo ll.

the main circuit.

upholds a core 18, whose lower part only is of magnetic material, and whose extremlty 1s tarnished with lnsulation 19. In its normal position, as shown in Fig. 1, this core holds up the movable'member 20 of a by-pass or short-cirouiting switch, to' the 'opposite sides of which lead the wires 21' and 2'2. The former of these wires is connected to one extremity of the unitedsolenoid coils and later is connected between them.

In series with the main circuit is prefer ably placed any well known type of two'- scale" ammeter 23; and, of course the scale for measurement of small. currents is nor mally in circuit.

1 preferably employ a troublealarm bell 2 1, which may be operated by'a suitable 'local generator 25, when the switch 26 is closed. As shown in Fig. 1, this closure of circuit takes place whenever the switch member 20 moves downward.

Th'is trouble alarm is placed at the central statiomandf sci-res to give notice of accidental breaks'm the main circuit whereby it might be rendered inoperative. It is not an essential of my invention. be dispensed with.

The ammeter 23 may also It is to be understood, that, while I have" shown the core of my solenoid actuated by and against gravity, and placed in an upright position, 1t is within the scope ofmy invention to employ equivalent forces'an'd" different arrangements and shapes of sole-' noid and core.

hen the solenoid is deenergized the movement of the core on release (downward 1n the drawing) 1s controlled by a plston 27 on" the core, moving Within a suitable liquid within the dash pot cylinder-'28, pro

vided with a by-pass 29-c0ntro11ed-preferably by a set screw 30. I prefer to enlarge the upper portion of the cylinder so as to give a quick movement at the end of the up stroke or" the core, to break any are that might form at the switch 20.

If desired, other forms of dash pot may be used. In Fig. 2 I have shown a modification wherein quick downward movement and slow upward movement are secured. Here the bypass is omitted and the piston 31 has a large valve 32 opening upward only, which valve has an opening 33 permitting passage of liquid on the up stroke.

The operation of my system is as follows'When an alarm box 11 is pulled,

the main circuit is .momentarily opened. The core 18 drops and the member 20 falls and short circuits the solenoid coil 17, and brings in the second ammeter coil. There is thus prepared a low resistance circuitwhich is closed when the first circuit closure occurs in the alarm box. This low resistance circuit then affords a current which is competent to ring all the bells, and this ringing lasts until the solenoid 15 has brought the slow moving core back to the normal position shown, when the member 20 is quickly lifted, and the high resistance of the main circuit is restored by bringing the coil 17 of the'solenoid into circuit again. This operation is repeated for each break of circuit in the alarm box, and the code signal is thus produced.

Various changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of my apparatus without departing from my invention, and I do not limit mvself to the details herein sho n and described.

What I claim is 1. In an alarm system an automatic make and break alarm box, an electric alarm, a single main circuit uniting said box and alarm, an electro-magnet having its coils normally in series in said main circuit, a switch, an armature in the magnetic field, of said coils adapted to control said switch, a. shunt around a portion of said coils, said shunt being controlled by said switch to close the same on failure of current in said -main circuit, the coils remaining permanently in series being so proportioned as to operate said switch to open it when the remainder of the coils are shunted.

2. In an alarm system, an automatic make and break alarm box, an electric alarm, a

single main circuit uniting said box and alarm. an electro-magnetic switch comprising a high and a low resistance coil in series with each other and with said main circuit and havinga single armature in the magnetic field of said coils, and a shunt around said high resistance coil, said shunt being controlled by said switch to close the same on failure of current in said main circuit.

3. In an alarm system, an automatic make and break alarm box, an electric alarm, a single main circuit uniting said box and alarm, an electro-magnet having its coils in said circuit, an armature controlled by said magnet adapted to cut resistance out of said circuit without cutting said magnet coils entirely out of circuit when the circuit is opened at said alarm box, and also adapted to restore said resistance when circuit is closed at said alarm box and said electromagnet thereby energized, and a retarding device for said armature adapted to oppose its rapid movement when attracted by said magnet on closure of circuit at the alarm box.

4. In an alarm system, an automatic make and break alarm box, an electric alarm, a single main circuit uniting said box and alarm, an electro-magnetic switch comprise ing two sets of coils in series and an armatureadapted to shunt one of said sets of coils when the magnet is deenergized, and a retarding means for said armature adapted to oppose its rapid movement when attracted by said magnet, substantially as described.

5. In an alarm system, an automatic make and break alarm box, an electric alarm, a single main circuit uniting said box and alarm, a solenoid having its coils connected normally in said main circuit, a switch normally held open by the core of said solenoid, and a shunt around a portion of the coils of said solenoid controlled by said switch, the coils remaining permanently in series being so proportioned as to operate said switch to open it when the remainder of the coils are shunted, substantially as described.

6. In an alarm system, an automatic make and break alarm box, an electric alarm, a

singlemain circuit uniting said box and alarm, a solenoid having a high and a low resistance coil in series with each other and normally included in said main circuit, a switch normally held'open by the core of said solenoid, and a shunt around the high 1 resistance coil of said solenoid controlled by said switch, substantially as described. 7

7 In an alarm system, an automat1c make and break alarm box, an electrlc alarm, a

single main circuit uniting said box and alarm, a solenoid having its coils connected normally in said main. circuit, a dash pot arranged to control the movement of the core of said solenoid, a switch normally held open by the core of said solenoid, and a shunt around a portion of the coils of said solenoid controlled by said switch, substan-' tially as described.

8. In an alarm system, an automatic make and break alarm box, an electrlc alarm, a

single main circuit uniting said box and alarm, a solenoid having its coils connected normally in said main circuit, a switch norof the coils are shunted, substantially as demally held open by the core of said solescribed. 10 noid, a trouble alarm controlled by said sole- In testimony whereof I ailix my signature noicl core, and a shunt around a portion of in presence of two Witnesses.

the coils of said solenoid, controlled by said GEORGE W. HOGHSPRUNG. switch, the coils remaining permanently in \Vitnesses:

series being so proportioned as to operate GEO. A. BYRNE,

said switch to open it when the remainder H. S. MACKAYE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latents, Washington, D. C. 

